Advertising-sign



ADVERTISING SIGN. No 470,034. Patented Mar. 1, 1892.

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UNITED STATES A JACKSON O. BELKNAP,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF MOBILE, ALABAMA.

ADVERTISING-SIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,034, dated March l,1892.

Application iiled July 31, 18 91.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JACKSON O. BELKNAP, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mobile,in the county of Mobile and State of Alabama, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Advertising-Signs, ofwhich the following is a' specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inadvertising-signs.

My improvements have reference to an automatically-reversible flap; havereferenceto a special form of mounting said flap to effect its automaticreversal by gravitating influence; have reference to exerting saidinfluence by the rotation of the said flap endwise and thesupporting-panel therefor; have reference to mounting said panel andflap so as to rotate on an axis which has also an onward movement, andhavereference to other points of detail hereinafter described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, on which like reference-letters indicatecorresponding parts,Figure l represents a front view of one form of mydevice, the panel background having an oscillating rotary movement; Fig.2, an edge view of the same; Fig. 3, a front and sectional view of areversible iiap and panel mounted on aixed or stationary background;Fig. 4, a flap and panel mounted on a background having a rotary andonward movement; Fig. 5, a number of reversible fiaps and panels mountedon a rotary background, each at one side of the axis thereof; and Fig.6, another mode of mounting said flap.

The letter A designates a reversible flap pivotally hinged or otherwiseadapted to reverse and show first one side and then another, saidreversing action being preferably effected by the gravitating influenceof the iiap about its axis. I have shown one formnamely,hinging saidflap at one edge thereof, said edge constituting the axis about whichthe ilap reverses. The flap may, however, be otherwise adapted toreverse on its axis, this being bu-t one form of mounting the same. Inconnection With the flap is a panel B, to which the said flap is pivotedon an axis substantially parallel to the panel. This panel is shown inFig. l as painted upon or coincident with the background and adapted tobe rotated back and forth through substantially half a circumference bymeans of wheel-work actuated bya spiral spring or otherwise. The weightof the flap will tend to keep it in its lower position with regard toits axis, which axis is mounted transversely to the axis of which theflap-is pivoted will change the position of this axis end over end orrotatably in the plane of the axis, so as to bring it below the centerof the Weight of the iiap, thus causing the iiap to reverse itself bythe action of gravity. For instance, in Fig. l the panel is about tobegin its rotation in the direction of the arrows. When the axis A ofthe flap arrives at the dotted line a, the iiap will reverse itself andshow the opposite side thereof, together with the portion of the panelnow hidden by the flap. On a reverse movement of the panel the flap willreturn to its former position, when the axis A arrives at the positionof the dotted line b, or thereabout, thus showing the former side of theflap and the portion of the panel corresponding thereto. The flap willbe balanced when its axis A is in a vertical. line, and the gravitatinginfluence will act at a greater or less distance beyond the verticalline according to the more or less friction of the -bearings of theflap. The dotted lines in Figs. l and 2 show the positions of the Hapfrom which it reverses to` the positions shown in full lines, asindicated by the arrows.

O with the reversible flap A and its supporting-panel B, mounted torotate on the axis, as indicated by the arrows. In this form thebackground is separate from the panel and fixed or stationary inposition, while the panel rotates on an axis and effects the reversal ofThe background may be used for advertisements, while the panel andreversible flap will call attention thereto by suitable inscriptionsthereon. The motion of the panel and flap will attract attention tothemselves.

In Fig. 4 I have shown another form of background and mounting for theiiap and panel, consisting of a wheel to which the panel is bolted orotherwise secured, the ro- In Fig. 3 I have shown a iixed backgroundtation of the panel being caused by the ro-l the panel, and the rotationof the panel to the flap A by changing the position of the I axis A withregard to the Weight of the liap.v

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tation of the background (the wheel) as the latter rolls along theground. The axis on which the panel revolves is therefore moving oncontinually, instead of being fixed, as in Fig. 3; but the rotation ofpanel effects the change of position of the axis A of the iap andsecures the gravitating action thereof, as in the previous examples.

In Fig. 5 a plurality of flaps and their respective panels are securedto a background, the axis of which is to one side of the panel, and maysimply have a rotary movement, or rotary and onward, as in Fig. ft. Theflaps will reverse automatically as they arrive at their reversingpositions-namely, the positions in which the weight of the iiap willoverbalance the friction of the pivot of the same when the axis A isbrought below the center of gravity of the weight thereof. The dottedpositions, Fig. 5, indicate the points at which the flaps will reverse.

By suitably varying the directions or inscriptions on the tiap and panelpart of asentence may be read in one position of the flap and theremainder thereof on the reversal of the iap; also, a number of flapsmay be so arranged as to show the whole sentence in one position, asindicated in Figs. 4 and 5, in which Try our is shown on the panel andflap, respectively, in one position of the latter and Fine cigars on thesalnein a reversed position of the flap. Thus it will be seen that thereversing of the flap may be effected automatically through gravitatinginfluence by bringing the axis of the flap to such position with regardto the center of gravity of the flap itself as to allow7 saidgravitating influence to act thereon. Whether this change of position ofthe axis is effected by a rotary oscillating movement, as in Fig. l, orcompletely rotary or rotary with onward movement it will be seen thatthe said change of position of the axis of the iiap with regard to thecenter of gravity thereof is effected.

As before mentioned, the panel and background may be coincident, as inFig. l, or the panel may be mounted on the background and the flapattached to the panel. Furthermore, the panel and background may befixed with relation to each other, as in Figs. et and 5, or thebackground may be fixed and the panel rotatable, as in Fig. 3.

I do not wish to limit myself t0 any particular form of mounting theflap, whether hinged or otherwise, nor to a particular form of panel andits means of support.

ltrwill be observed that the movement of the flap in reversing from oneposition to the other is substantially from the plane of rotation at oneside of the axis of the flap into the same plane of rotation on theother side of the axis of the flap. In other words, the flap starts fromapproximately the plane of rotation of its support or panel, and swingsout of and then back into said plane with every half-rotation of itssupport or panel, thus showing the reverse side of the flap with everyhalf-rotation of its support or panel, whether said rotation iscompletely rotary or oscillatory rotary.

Referring to Fig. G, another mode of mounting the flap is shown,consisting of a rotatable panel B, having a drum d, belted to a drum orpulley e on the axle of a wagon, whereby when the wagon 'is movedonward, as indicated in the figure, the panel will be rotated in thedirection of the arrow and cause the reversal of the flap, as abovedescribed. It will be observed that the panel has a rotary movement onits axis in order to reverse the flap, and also has an onward movementwhereby the panel is translated from place to place.

Many other forms of carrying out my invention might be illustrated; butthe above description and drawings are sufficient to exemplify the usesto which it may be put.

iHaving thus fully described my invention, whatl claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In an advertising-sign, the combination, with a panel having analternate back-andforth rotary movement about its axis and adapted to besuitably inscribed, of a reversible iiap pivoted to said paneltransversely to the axis thereof and thus brought into such relation toits axis that the pivotal point of said flap will be alternately aboveand below the center of gravity of the flap at each alternate forwardand backward movement of said panel, and means to effect said movementof the panel.

2. In an advertising-sign,the combination, with a rotatable panel andmeans to rotate it, of a reversible iap adapted for inscriptions andpivoted to said panel transversely to the axis thereof, whereby therotation of said panel on its own axis will bring the pivoted axis ofsaid fiapinto constantly-changing position relatively to the flapitself, and thereby effect the reversal of the flap by gravitatingin'liuences.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JACKSON O. BELKNAP. lVitnesses:

W. C. BELKNAP, J. W. SPRATLEY.

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